1 comments about Gustave Moreau. Monographie et nouveau catalogue raisonne.

1. Conguratulations for the excellent work Mr. Mathieu did for this second edition of the catalogue. A lot of color reproductions made us much easier to feel and enjoy the spirit of the works.

1 comments about Gist of Art: Principles and Practice Expounded in the Classroom and Studio (Dover Books on Art Instruction).

1. "The Gist of Art" is one of my all-time favorite books about art and art-technique. What fascinated me in this book was his treatment of the color wheel. He ditches it in favor of a color triangle, which is more useful for analyzing color. The midpoint between blue and red is purple, and so on... I especially liked how he broke the color triangle into smaller triangles, which he calls "limited palletes". Each of these limited palettes he assigns a mood, which I find fascinating. For example, you can work with all of the colors in the triangle bounded by the points red-orange-purple (or any other triad that is a subset of the color triangle). Working with limitations brings out your inventiveness. Maybe I haven't done it justice here, but the color triangle is something that I've relied on ever since I've studied Sloan's great book. I found it very useful with mixing up a limited set of watercolor paints for my own book called "Israel in Watercolors" (look it up!), where I worked with a very limited set of colors (just eight), yet came up with a myriad of mixtures. A little color mixing knowlege goes a long way. Also, Sloan is very avuncular; he's like the art-loving grandfather that I never had. He has some fine anecdotes about Robert Henri (another fave artist), and some opinions that crack me up, such as "all nudity in art is pornography". There's a charm to a man like that. I love this guy, and I've got to thank him once again for turning me on to the color triangle.

3 comments about Plein Air Painting in Watercolor & Oil.

1. I'd rate this as your average plein air book for two reasons: because it spends too much of the book on preparing for plein air painting and because it should've been written as separate books for the different mediums.
   
   I admit that I want a good plein air book on oils without all the introductory material that's repeated in every book you buy. If you need something more basic or work equally in both mediums then the other reviews are more appropriate. For a little more detail on the contents of the book, read on.
   
   The book is divided into six chapters: 1) Gathering your Gear (24 pages), 2) Making the Most of Your Colors (10 pages), 3) Plein Air Painting (12 pages), 4) Plein Air Painting in Watercolor (26 pages), 5) Plein Air Painting in Oil (30 pages), 6) Using Plein Air Work in the Studio (18 pages)
   
   I count 29 illustrations of finished oil paintings, plus 3 multi-step (8 to 9) ilustrated demonstrations of plein air paintings in oil. These are of Saint Mary River in Glacier National Park, a snow covered stream surrounded by willows, and Grosvenor Arch in the Utah desert.
   
   I count 32 illustrations of finished watercolor paintings, plus 3 multi-step (7-10) illustrated demonstrations of plein air paintings in watercolor. These are of the California Coast, a covered bridge on a river valley, and a white house in bright late morning light.
   
   There's a lot of talk of colors used in the demonstrations plus additional worthy discussion with other paintings. Note that the cover paintings are not among the demonstrations. Aside from the pencil sketches all illustrations in the book are color.
   
   I'd like to see Frank cut the preparatory material to 1/3 its size and turn this into two books - doubling the illustrations, demonstrations and discussion of each medium.



2. This book could have earned a 4.5 stars in my rating system. Overall, it is a practical guideline for beginning/intermediate painters who may have just started to paint out-of-doors. My review targets these groups of readers and their presumed interests in purchasing/reading this book.

   Pros:

   1) The book has VERY PRACTICAL sections on material, tools, gears, etc... to get you "out of the house" to go painting. The information is available for both watercolorists and "oilists" ("oil-ists", OK, so I made up this word!) I myself find these sections particularly clear and helpful, especially for those who have already invested quite a bit in the facility to paint in-doors, as spending more money in extra tools for painting out-of-doors might become a burden. The accurate information provided in the book is certainly a big help to readers.

   2) The book is well-organized and easy to read. The author covers discussion on colors, composition, then moves on to demonstrating painting plein-air in watercolors and oils. Each demo is shown step-by-step with somewhat in-depth discussion on color choices and art maneuver in each step.

   3) The book also covers other issues, such as the use of multiple photos to create a painting, conversion of oil to water colors and vice versa, the recreation of paintings in the studio based on small paintings done on location, painting from memory, etc.

   4) As I mentioned above, the STRONGEST point of the book, in my opinion, is that it covers the very practical aspects of this genre, in order to prepare the readers to "get out and paint" and perhaps achieve certain progresses as starters. I also appreciate the efforts of the author in sharing with the readers some of his valuable tips in painting out-of-doors. For instance, to avoid distraction when painting during the winter, one thing to do is to keep your feet warm. The author provides some very simple and useful solution (no, it is not just wearing warm boots), which must have come from his years of painting out-of-doors. "What solution", you ask? Well, it is for me to know (since I read it), and for you to find out! (It is all in there.)

   Cons:

   These are not really "cons", but rather my opinions of things that may have made this book a "better" one (perhaps).

   1) I myself find the demos are a bit wordy in explaining color choices in each step. I did find myself skipping pages when reading the book due to boredom. However, considering the fact that this is NOT the first art book I read, nor am I brand-new to oil painting, it could be a very personal thing. On the other hand, other intermediate/advanced oil painters may feel the same way I did.

   2) I do not agree with other comments putting down other authors of plein-air painting in praising this book. Although I agree the author of this book has succeeded in making this book simple and easy to read, I do find some other titles did a rather good job in explaining concepts, principles, theories, and techniques in painting out-of-doors. As a matter of fact, I find in them (other books) certain depths which may be very valuable to advanced plein-air painters. To back my opinion, the author of this book himself recommends "you" (the readers) to resort to those books as well (in the cited references).




3. Frank LaLumia has succeeded where many authors fail - providing excellent instruction in a concise manner. His own works are inspiring and his command of the various media is impressive, but his greatest strength is that he explains in a page or two concepts that other books mumble on about for entire chapters. I was delighted and inspired by this artist's stunning first book. Keep on writing, Mr. LaLumia!

2 comments about Women Of Flowers: A Tribute to Victorian Women Illustrators.

1. The book is the one I expected. I had seen it at the public library. BUT the size was a surprise. I expected a much larger book. This one is 6" by 7", much too small to enjoy the paintings of flowers and difficult to read the print.



2. Along with the stories of these brilliant women artists and beautiful renditions of their artwork are sprinkled Victorian flower language, poems and quotes that make this an exquisite tabletop book that your guests will not be able to put down. Most of these talented women never received honors while they lived because in their day, women were not given their worth. Many of these ladies used male pseudonyms just to stay employed. A beautiful compliment for those that appreciate the language of herbs and flowers.

3 comments about The Joy of Watercolor.

1. I have had this book for over 20 years, and I keep going back to it. It is a delight to read because of the enthusiasm and exhuberance of its author for sketching and painting. He's inspirational, in other words. Also, many books teach compositional theories and methods, but this book contains an intuitive approach; and following it, the student learns composition by doing--getting out and sketching and coloring one's sketches. So design, or composition, is a major theme. He also majors on color, and again the method is learning by doing, by experimenting with mixing color, starting with a small palette of pigments and working up to a set of 40 different tubes (in the second book "More Joy of Watercolor," which of course is also good). But even though Millard's approach is experimental and intuitive, along the way he shares a whole host of vital principles for good painting and design and color use. In conclusion, Millard got me going in sketchbooks those many years ago, and I have learned best through the years by filling them with little color sketches. Highest recommendation.



2. This book is one of the main referance books in my library for watercolor. I only wish I could fine Volume 2.



3. This is an excellent book on watercolor that helps you teach yourself to paint. It is one of the few watercolor books that I have seen that uses brilliant color. The book concentrates of landscape and still life, which are the topics that most people will have ready access to and the author's method of having you keep a sketchbook and paint at least 15 minutes a day is a wonderful way to learn. His suggestion that you always include figures in your landscapes is also excellent as most people wish to avoid figure work. THIS BOOK GETS YOU PAINTING.

1 comments about The Navajo Art of Sandpainting.

1. This book shows images of sandpaintings by various artists. It's interesting to compare the different styles, but there are very few explanations as to what the myths mean.

4 comments about Watercolor Success!: 52 Essential Lessons for Creating Great Paintings.

1. I would say this book is written for the advanced beginner or possible the intermediate watercolorist who wants to improve. It begins with the usual fundamentals of watercolor painting--equipment, paper stretching, etc.. If you are an absolute beginner, you might want to consider another book, as this book concentrates more on steps of painting and color combinations, perspective, value sketches and watercolor design and does not fully explain some of the absolute beginner information as well as some other books that I own do. It is still a wonderful book with much to offer, and the step-by-step demonstrations in Chuck Long's loose style and the unfolding development of a masterpiece such as seen on the front cover are very helpful. Some of the less detailed looser style paintings such as a mountain stream scene or a Nova Scotia fishing village would not be so overwhelming for a beginner to follow along with and then progress to the more detailed paintings such as on the cover. There is much to be learned from this book, and the demonstrations are excellent.



2. I now have purchased about 200 art instruction books and it amazes me at how many just rehash the same old thing (color wheel, red & green makes gray, use round brushes #4,8,12, etc, etc, etc. The first 2/3rds of the book are wasted on this common stuff found in so many previous books. The demonstrations are nice and well explained but that is all I could take out of this book. If your a beginner then you probably will get more out of this book. If you're a more discerning artist, try David Curtis' new book that talks more about the subtleties of painting, like lost and found edges, etc.



3. Being a novice in watercolor painting, I have perused many bookstore shelves in the Art section looking for that "one book". Chuck Long has written it!



4. Whether a beginning or advanced painter, every watercolorist will learn something from this book. The illustrations are beautiful. Study the demonstrations and improve your technique! This book is a welcomed addition to my resource library.

2 comments about Van Der Weyden.

1. This book is a cheap mass-market art book as can be seen in the price, and the production values reflect this. Although the paintings are reproduced in colour, the images are not sharp, and this is immediately obvious. As long as you are aware of this, the book is a reasonable purchase. That said, the paintings are breathtaking, and the choices are commendable. The text is also very readable, and while I am prepared to pay a lot more for a more comprehensive and better produced book on Van Der Weyden, there does not appear to be one on the market, so this was better than nothing. I'm awaiting a catalogue raisonne where everything is full page and in colour!



2. Art books are expensive. This one is well worth the fifteen dollars. Plenty of informative text, and a good number of color reproductions. As someone wih a large collection of art books i recommend this book, especially for the price. It's fifteen dollars.... Can you find any other cheap books on Van der Weyden?

1 comments about David Bellamy's Painting Wild Landscapes in Watercolour: How to Paint Wild Landscapes.

1. I own most of David Bellamy's books and videos and each time he succeeds in amazing me with the paintings that he produces and the exercises he publishes in his book. This new one is no exception and is another that I cherish. I recommend it to anyone interested in watercolour painting as there is a fountain of information and instruction in it.

1 comments about Paint: Illustrated Techniques for Every Medium.

1. This book is excellent for beginners (or at least seems so to this beginner). It explains how the various products in each medium interact with each other - information that would have taken me years to figure out on my own (if I didn't lose interest before then). It explains how to mix colors (avoiding mud). It is a good primer on color theory and the basics of composition. Best of all, it's an easy read with lots of illustrated/photographed examples. It covers watercolors, acrylics and oils, colored pencil, pastels, etc. It also talks about the different surfaces, mediums and varnishes you can use to enhance or protect your work. It has step-by-step instructions on various techniques, from loading your brush to using masks.
   
   I borrowed this book from the library, but I may purchase it as a reference book.